Mop-holder.



PATENTED AUG. 8, 1905.

W. B MOP HOLDER.

APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 10,1904.

Inventor.

I I Httomegs PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM B. LACY, OF OAKPARK, VIRGINIA.

MOP-HOLDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 8, 1905.

Application filed September 10, 1904:. Serial No. 224,013.

To all 2072,0711, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM B. LACY, acitizen of the United States, residing at Oakpark, in the county of Madison and State of Virginia, have invented a new and useful Mop-Holder, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to mop-holders of that class which are provided with pivotal jaws between which a sponge or a mop may be held and retained for operation.

The object of the present invention is to provide a device of this character which shall possess superior advantages in point of simplicity, durability, and general efliciency, in which the jaws shall be spring-actuated, so as to take a secure hold upon the mop or sponge inserted between them, and which shall be capable of being readily attached to a hosenozzle or to a suitable handle of any description.

WVith these and other ends in view, which will readily appear when the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the improved construction and novel arrangement and combination of parts, which will be hereinafter fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings has been illustrated a simple and preferred form of embodiment of the invention, it being, however, understood that no limitation is necessarily made to the precise structuraldetails therein exhibited, but that the right is reserved to any changes, alterations, and modifications to which recourse maybe had within the scope of the invention and without departing from the spirit or sacrificing the efficiency of the same.

In said drawings, Figures 1 and 1 are perspective views representing the parts constituting the improved mop-holder complete. Fig. Qis a perspective view showing the gripping device of the improved mop-holder mounted upon a hose-nozzle in position for operation. Fig. 3is a perspective view showing the complete mop-holder mounted upon a hose-nozzle in position for operation and showing also a mop-cloth in operative position, said mop-cloth having been partl broken away for the purpose of better illustrating the construction. Figs. 4 and 4 are perspective detail views illustrating the preferred means for securing the mop-holder in position upon a nozzle or handle. Fig. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a modification.

Corresponding parts in the several figures are indicated by like characters of reference.

The base of the improved mop-holder,which is represented at 1, consists of an elongated approximately rectangular frame which may beconstructed of wire or of any suitable material. With this frame a pair of jaws 2 2 are connected. Each of said jaws is bent of strong spring-wire to form a yoke, the ends of the arms of which, 3 3, are coiled to form springs 44. The yokesQ Zare mounted pivotally by means of the spring-coils 4: 4: upon the sides of the frame 1, and each of said spring-coils terminates in an arm 5, which is extended under the opposite side of the frame, thereby holding the springs under the requisite tension. The yokes or jaws 2 2 are provided with teeth 6 6, which are disposed facing each other in such a manner that when the jaws close together the points of the said teeth shall engage each other, as will be clearly seen in the drawings. It is found that by this arrangement the teeth will take a better hold upon a sponge or mop-cloth inserted between the jaws than if they were permitted to intermesh.

For the purpose of securing the improved mop-holder upon a hose-nozzle or upon a handle of any description I prefer to avail myself of the means illustrated in the accompanying drawings, said means comprising a sleeve 7, exteriorly screw-threaded and having at its upper end a T-head 8, the under sides of the arms of which are transversely grooved, as shown at 9.' A nut 10 is fitted upon the exteriorly-threaded sleeve 7. The said sleeve may be secured in any suitable manner upon a handle, which in the drawings has been illustrated as consisting of an ordinary hose-nozzle 11. It will be seen that in order to mount the mop-holder upon the nozzle or handle provided with the attachment just described it is.

only necessary to loosen the nut 10, to insert the T-hcad lengthwise between the side bars of the frame 1, to impart to the handle a quarter-turn with relation to said frame whereby the side bars of the latter will be placed in engagement with the transverse grooves 9 in the arms of the T-head, and to finally tighten the nut up against the under sides of the side bars of the frame, which latter will thus be held in position with perfect security. The sleeve 7 of the attaching means should be secured at such a distance from the end or point of the handle or nozzle that the extremity of the latter will project between the central teeth upon the jaws of the mop-holder. By this arrangement when the jaws of the mopholder spring together the teeth of the opposing jaws Will be slightly spaced apart and will be prevented from being displaced by striking forcibly against each other.

In order to mount a sponge in position for operation, it is only necessary to spring the jaws apart and to force the point of the nozzle or handle into the body of the sponge, after which the spring-jaws are released and permitted to clamp the sponge. The latter will thus be held securely not only by the tension of the spring-jaws, but also by the handle or nozzle, which will prevent lateral displacement ofthe sponge in any direction, and thereby hold it securely with less liability of being torn or injured than if it were held by the spring-jaws only.

When a mop-cloth is to be used in connection with the holder, it is preferred to employ an auxiliary holding member, illustrated in the drawings as 12, where it will be seen to consist of a wire yoke formed with a central eye 13 and provided at the extremities of its arms with outturned hook members 14. In practice the mop-cloth 15 is doubled upon the yoke 12 and is provided in alinement with the eye 13 with a perforation 16. The jaws of the holder are then sprung apart, and the yoke 12, with the mop-cloth litted thereon, is inserted between said jaws, the point of the nozzle or handle being inserted through the perforation 16 of the mop-cloth and the eye 13 of the yoke 12. The arms of the latter are inserted between the spring-coils 4: of the opposing jaws 2, and the hooks 1 1 at the ends of the arms are sprung into engagement with the ends of the base-frame 1. The spring-jaws 2, which are then released, will hold the mopcloth with absolute security, as will be readily understood.

When, as in the form of embodiment of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings, the improved mop or sponge holder is attached for operation to a hose-nozzle, water or cleansing fluid will be supplied through such nozzle, as will be readily understood.

In Fig. 5 of the drawings has been illustrated a modified form of the invention. This modification includes only the base-frame 1 and the means whereby said base-frame is mounted in position upon a handle or nozzle. Under said modification the base-frame is composed of separate wires 21 21, which are twisted together so as to form a single strand, having its ends connected by soldering or otherwise, so as to form a substantially rectangular frame. The wires 2121 are spread apart or spaced vertically near the center of each side of the frame, so as to form a pair of slots or openings 22 22, adjacent to the outer sides of which are placed clampingplates 23 23, connected by bolts 24 24, extending transversely through the frame and through the slots in the side of the frame and provided at the ends thereof with bindingnuts 25. In practice the nozzle or handle 21 is inserted between the sides of the frame and between the transverse bolts. By simply tightening the nuts upon the latter the device may be clamped very securely and very quicklyin operative position upon the nozzle or handle. By this construction the device may be securely clamped in operative position upon nozzles or handles of different diameters.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is 1. A mop-holder including a base-frame and opposing unconnected jaws having arms provided with spring-coils pivotally engaging said frame and terminating in arms extending under the side bars of said frame and forcing the free ends of the jaws in the direction of each other.

2. A mop-holder including a frame, springactuated yokes pivotally engaging said frame and constituting spring-jaws, and an auxiliary yoke having arms terminating in hooks adapted to engage the frame.

3. A mop-holder including a. frame, and jaws having spring-coils pivotally engaging said frame and provided with terminal arms extending under the sides of the latter in combination with an auxiliary yoke having arms terminating in hooks adapted to engage the ends of the frame.

1. The combination with a mop-holder including a base-frame and opposing springjaws pivotally engaging said frame near the ends thereof, of a device constituting a handle, extending between the sides of the baseframe near the center thereof and in the direction of the jaws, and means for securing the holder upon said handle.

5. The combination with a mop-holder including a base-frame and opposing springjaws pivotally engaging said frame, of a device constituting a handle, extending between the sides of the base-frame and between the jaws, and means for securing the holder upon the handle.

6. A base-frame, spring-jaws pivotally connected therewith, a device constituting a handle, extending between the sides of the frame and between the jaws, and an auxiliary yoke having an eye and provided with frame-engaging hooks at the ends thereof.

7 The combination with a mop-holder having an elongated base-frame, of a device constituting a handle, an eXteriorly-threaded sleeve fixed upon said handle and having a T- head engaging one side of the base-frame, and a nut upon said threaded sleeve, and engaging the opposite side of the base-frame.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto afiixed my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

WILLIAM B. LACY. Witnesses:

W. L. PAYNE, v E. L. ARGABRIGHT. 

